Members of the SLU Billikens celebrate with Ethan Sitzman (2) after he scored what proved to be the winning run in Tuesday’s game against Missouri State. (Photo: Cedric Williams)
| NCAA Baseball | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri State (9-6) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
| SLU (15-1) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 5 | 8 | 0 |
WP: Owen Chaffin – SLU (1-0) LP: Hunter Day – MO ST. (1-2) SV: Ethan Bell – SLU (3)
Jason Barnes
Staff Writer
ST. LOUIS, MO — Cole Smith had a four-for-four day at the plate and collected three RBIs to lead the Saint Louis University baseball team to a 5-3 win over Missouri State, Tuesday afternoon at the Billiken Sports Complex.
Smith, who has racked up 12 hits in his last five games and drove in three runs for the second consecutive game, is now hitting .410 and is tied for the team lead with 26 RBIs.
Saint Louis is now 15-1 on the season, while Missouri State fell to 9-6. The victory capped off an outstanding home stand for the Billikens, who went 7-1 in its eight games, after losing the first game then winning the next seven.
Smith got the scoring started when he drove in two with a basehit in the bottom of the first. Missouri State answered in the top of the second, when David Leach hit a two-run homer to tie the game.
Smith delivered again in the third, when he singled home Ethan Sitzman to make the score 3-2. Sitzman drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth. Then Patrick Clohisy, who extended his season-long hitting streak to 16 games with two hits, stole home to put the Billikens up 5-2.
Missouri State got a run in the sixth, but that’s as close as the Bears would get to tying the game. They did get runners on in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, but relievers Jack Weber, Jackson Yarberry, and Ethan Bell got out of those jams and kept Missouri State scoreless.
Bell pitched the final 1 2/3 innings to pick up his third save of the season. Junior Owen Chaffin (1-0) got the win.
Now that its homestand is concluded, Saint Louis will be on the road for its next three games. The Billikens will be in Hammond, La., this weekend for a three-game set against Southeast Louisiana. Then on Monday, SLU will trek to New Orleans to play a single game against Tulane.
SLU’s next home game will be next weekend, when it will host a three-game set at the Billiken Sports Complex against Cincinnati.
SCORING SUMMARY
| Logo | Team | Inning | Play Description | MOST | SLU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | SLU | 1st | SMITH, C singled up the middle, 2 RBI; CLOHISY scored; SITZMAN scored, unearned. | 0 | 2 |
 | MOST | 2nd | Leach,D. homered to center field, 2 RBI; Chambers,L. scored. | 2 | 2 |
| SLU | 3rd | SMITH, C singled to center field, RBI; CLOHISY advanced to second; SITZMAN scored. | 2 | 3 |
| SLU | 5th | SITZMAN flied out to cf, SF, RBI; MOORE scored. | 2 | 4 |
| SLU | 5th | SMITH, C stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error by 2b; CLOHISY stole home. | 2 | 5 |
| MOST | 6th | Rogers,J. grounded out to ss, RBI; McCutcheon,J advanced to second; Leach,D. advanced to third; Chambers,L. scored. | 3 | 5 |
SAINT LOUIS BILLIKENS 2024 BASEBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 15, 2024 (Friday) | 6 pm | Away | Southeastern Louisiana | Hammond, La. |
| March 16, 2024 (Saturday) | 2 pm | Away | Southeastern Louisiana | Hammond, La. |
| March 17, 2024 (Sunday) | 1 pm | Away | Southeastern Louisiana | Hammond, La. |
| March 18, 2024 (Monday) | 6:30 pm | Away | Tulane | New Orleans, La. |
| March 22, 2024 (Friday) | 3 pm | Home | Cincinnati | Billiken Sports Complex |
| March 23, 2024 (Saturday) | 2 pm | Home | Cincinnati | Billiken Sports Complex |
| March 24, 2024 (Sunday) | 12 pm | Home | Cincinnati | Billiken Sports Complex |
| March 26, 2024 (Tuesday) | 3 pm | Away | Kansas | Lawrence, Kan. |
| March 28, 2024 (Thursday) | 3 pm | Home | Rhode Island | Billiken Sports Complex |
| March 29, 2024 (Friday) | 2 pm | Home | Rhode Island | Billiken Sports Complex |
| March 30, 2024 (Saturday) | 12 pm | Home | Rhode Island | Billiken Sports Complex |
| April 2, 2024 (Tuesday) | 3 pm | Home | SIU-Edwardsville | Billiken Sports Complex |
| April 5, 2024 (Friday) | 3 pm | Away | Saint Joseph’s | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| April 6, 2024 (Saturday) | 2 pm | Away | Saint Joseph’s | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| April 7, 2024 (Sunday) | 12 pm | Away | Saint Joseph’s | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| April 9, 2024 (Tuesday) | 3 pm | Home | Southern Indiana | Billiken Sports Complex |
| April 12, 2024 (Friday) | 3 pm | Home | Davidson | Billiken Sports Complex |
| April 13, 2024 (Saturday) | 2 pm | Home | Davidson | Billiken Sports Complex |
| April 14, 2024 (Sunday) | 12 pm | Home | Davidson | Billiken Sports Complex |
| April 19, 2024 (Friday) | 3 pm | Away | Fordham | New York, N.Y. |
| April 20, 2024 (Saturday) | 1 pm | Away | Fordham | New York, N.Y. |
| April 21, 2024 (Sunday) | 12 pm | Away | Fordham | New York, N.Y. |
| April 23, 2024 (Tuesday) | 3 pm | Away | Lindenwood | St. Charles, Mo. |
| April 26, 2024 (Friday) | 3 pm | Away | George Washington | Washington, D.C |
| April 27, 2024 (Saturday) | 1 pm | Away | George Washington | Washington, D.C |
| April 28, 2024 (Sunday) | 12 pm | Away | George Washington | Washington, D.C |
| April 30, 2024 (Tuesday) | 4 pm | Away | Butler | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| May 3, 2024 (Friday) | 3 pm | Home | George Mason | Billiken Sports Complex |
| May 4, 2024 (Saturday) | 2 pm | Home | George Mason | Billiken Sports Complex |
| May 5, 2024 (Sunday) | 12 pm | Home | George Mason | Billiken Sports Complex |
| May 7, 2024 (Tuesday) | 4 pm | Home | Lindenwood | Billiken Sports Complex |
| May 10, 2024 (Friday) | 3 pm | Home | Dayton | Billiken Sports Complex |
| May 11, 2024 (Saturday) | 2 pm | Home | Dayton | Billiken Sports Complex |
| May 12, 2024 (Sunday) | 12 pm | Home | Dayton | Billiken Sports Complex |
| May 16, 2024 (Thursday) | 3 pm | Away | UMass | Amherst, Mass. |
| May 17, 2024 (Friday) | 1 pm | Away | UMass | Amherst, Mass. |
| May 18, 2024 (Saturday) | 12 pm | Away | UMass | Amherst, Mass. |
| May 21, 2024 (Tuesday) | TBA | Neutral | Atlantic 10 Championship | Tysons, Va. (Capital One Park) |